


When Second Feels Like First

by Telaryn



Category: Leverage
Genre: Baking, Competition, Eliot Spencer's Cooking, Gen, Past Relationship(s), Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 15:35:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13860735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Telaryn/pseuds/Telaryn
Summary: Nobody was sure about taking the job when Aimee Martin came to ask for their help in clearing her husband's name.  But Eliot swore he would be okay, so Nate green-lit the trip.And then the baking competition happened.  It was the perfect in to get what they needed to clear Aimee's husband.Did we mention Eliot has a problem with competitive situations?The fact that his closest rival is twelve years old notwithstanding...





	When Second Feels Like First

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BurningTea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurningTea/gifts).



> Thanks first for your patience, my dear - and second for your joining us again this year. I know you were worried, but I never doubted you could do it!
> 
> Hope you enjoy the fic, and hope we see you again next time!

“You have the evidence we need, right?”

Watching the chaos getting ready to erupt below them, Nate nodded. “The local police should be taking Carter McKay into custody right about…” He glanced at his watch. “Now.”

Aimee Martin Dupres – Eliot’s ‘one that got away’ – was standing next to him, similarly transfixed by what was going on. “So, he’s not still acting?”

Startled by the question, Nate began to laugh. “Eliot? Oh no – that’s all him.” He’d known going in that putting Eliot in a competitive situation was likely to turn on them, but when the job had centered around a state-wide baking competition he’d really been left with no logical alternative. Plus, having Eliot as one of the contestants had put them in a perfect position to get the final piece of data they needed to clear Aimee’s husband.

 _Aimee’s husband…_ That certainly hadn’t helped things go any more smoothly, but Eliot had insisted he was okay with the situation and Sophie had backed him up, so Nate had been forced to take the hitter at his word.

Reaching out abruptly, Nate gripped Aimee’s wrist – signaling her to silence. On the show floor, Sophie had turned away from Eliot and brought a finger to her comm. _”Nate, I think Parker tried to help.”_

Closing his eyes, Nate bowed his head. He hadn’t been following the particulars of the fight in progress, but he certainly wasn’t going to question Sophie’s conclusions. “Parker – get over here.”

He didn’t know why his nervous system refused to accept that more often than not Parker was going to answer that kind of a summons by appearing directly behind him, but her “What’s up?” and his sudden awareness that she was right at his back, well within his personal space, was still like a quick jab with a cattle prod.

Drawing in a deep, steadying breath, Nate turned to face his thief. “I don’t know what you took from Ms. Stetson…” He held up a hand to stop her from commenting, “…and I don’t want to know. Put it back.”

Parker’s gaze went immediately stubborn, and her mouth twisted into a pout. “Eliot…” she began, but Nate shook his head – refusing to be moved. 

“Put it back,” he repeated. “This is one of those times when you helping Eliot is only going to make things worse.”

He wasn’t sure she believed him, but by this point Nate was grateful Parker didn’t feel inclined to argue with him.

“You’re running a psychotic nursery school,” Aimee observed. “You know that, right?”

 _She’s not wrong,_ Nate thought, but out loud all he said was, “They get the job done. Sophie – give Parker a beat to return whatever it was she took, then direct the judges to search Ms. Stetson’s work station again. Eliot, if you can’t hold it together I’m pulling the plug.”

Eliot only glanced up at him for a split second, but Nate could feel the hitter’s annoyance like heat radiating against his skin. He knew better than to say anything at this point though, and Nate took the victory for what it was.  
*********************************  
Knowing he would get no sympathy from Nate, Eliot turned a quick, pleading gaze to Sophie. “You heard what she…” he began, but the grifter shook her head.

“No. Nate’s right. Just because she’s being less than professional doesn’t mean you need to stoop to her level.” And with that, Sophie turned her back on him to follow the other judges.

God, he needed to hit something. This job was working his last nerve, and if he wasn’t careful Ms. Bonnie Lou Stetson of Alice Acres, Texas was going to goad him into something he couldn’t take back. After taking a handful of deep breaths, trying to tamp down his rage and frustration, Eliot returned to his work station.

The distraction didn’t seem to have hurt his caramel sauce. Giving it an experimental swirl, he restarted the fire under it, and returned to slicing apples. After a few moments, the rhythm of the knife passing through the apple flesh and striking the cutting board began to soothe his tangled nerves. Deep down, Eliot knew that he should have dropped out of the competition as soon as they had what they needed to clear Aimee’s husband. Set-ups like this had always brought out the worst in him, going back to his days playing football in high school. And Bonnie Lou Stetson reminded him far too strongly of the girl that had beat him out for president of the debate club his senior year.

“You look calmer, at least.”

Startled, Eliot looked up from arranging the final layer of apple slices in his pan to see that Aimee had finally come down onto the show floor. “I would have thought you’d be on your way to the courthouse by now. McKay’s in custody – there’s nothing keeping them from springing Jack.” He prayed that he didn’t sound as bitter to Aimee’s ears as he did to his own.

“You do remember you were the one that left last time, right?”

 _So much for being the bigger man._ “I remember,” he said, trying again for neutral and feeling like he’d gotten closer this time. “You do know Nate asked me if I had a problem with us taking this job? I told him I didn’t.” Eliot forced himself to meet her gaze, even though looking into her green eyes right now was one of the most painful things he could ever remember doing. “On some level I am happy for you,” he said. “I am. I swear. I just…I seem to be drowning in what might have been.”

He slipped the pan of apples into the oven and reached for his dry ingredients. Aimee was still watching him, regret clear in her expression now. “I guess I’m not the one to make you feel better about this.”

Eliot snorted. _She always did love the understatement. Flour…sugar…baking powder…_ His movement weren’t as smooth as they should have been; his Aunt Ruthie would have smacked his knuckles with her wooden spoon by now for wasting ingredients by scattering them on the counter. “You could have picked up a phone back when you first got engaged,” he said, trying to pick up the threads of the conversation, even though the distraction of having Aimee right there was contributing to him being off his game.

 _Something’s wrong._ Holding up a hand to forestall whatever Aimee had been about to say, Eliot replayed the previous thirty seconds in his mind, studying his workspace carefully for what had caught his attention.

Moving on pure instinct now, Eliot covered the bottom of one of his bowls with a half inch of water. Picking up the baking powder, he added a fat pinch to the liquid.

 _Nothing._ “Son of a bitch,” Eliot growled, rolling his eyes. He’d never be able to prove Bonnie Lou had made the switch – he just needed to count his blessings and appreciate that he’d caught the difference before his crust was ruined.

“You better go back up with Nate,” he said to Aimee, reaching out to hit the button that would summon the judges back to his station. “This is getting serious.”  
************************************  
_Baking soda for baking powder. Nicely done._ Sophie had no doubt that if they were able to review the security footage, Nate or Parker would be able to tell them when the switch had been made, but it would be cold comfort if Eliot ended up losing the competition anyway. The judges had allowed Eliot fresh baking powder, but they hadn’t restored any of the time he’d lost. They’d dutifully questioned his nemesis, but by the time they were done, Sophie could tell that none of them really believed Ms. Bonnie Lou Stetson was guilty of the sabotage.

Not that a little thing like evidence was going to stop Parker – and now she had Hardison to back her up. _”I’ll snatch that little chocolate mess of hers right out of the oven. She’ll never be able to explain it!”_ Sophie was already mentally preparing to leave the floor and back Nate up, when she saw Eliot snatch his comm out of his ear and pocket it.

“I’m okay,” he said, once she was in earshot. “Just need to focus, or I’m not going to have enough time to finish.”

While Sophie didn’t believe him for a second that he was okay, Eliot had a fair point about the time constraints he was now under. She raised her hands briefly, acknowledging what he’d said, along with his unspoken request for some breathing room.

 _”He needs something he can control,”_ Nate said as she moved off.

She understood that. Still, “Don’t you think he’s taking it a little far this time? I’m surprised he and Ms. Stetson haven’t come to blows yet.”

 _”There’s still an hour left to the judging,”_ Nate observed. _”Not to mention with the job over, Aimee’s going to be pushing for that deep, emotional conversation she thinks they need to have.”_

Sophie snorted softly. “I think that’s what she was on about when Eliot discovered his baking powder had been switched. Can’t you convince her a little continuing denial on his part is best for everyone?”

 _”You mean on top of keeping Parker from starting something that will get this entire competition shut down and Eliot possibly clapped in jail?”_ Nate asked. _”No thank you – I think Eliot’s emotional issues need to be your problem right now.”_

_I don’t have the training or the patience,_ Sophie thought, but at this point there was no use arguing with Nate. After confirming that Aimee was at least – for now – still willing to stay off the floor, Sophie let her eyes roam across the remaining twelve contestants. Three of them were already taking their creations from the oven – Bonnie Lou included. 

Sophie drifted closer to the girl’s work station. From what she remembered, Bonnie Lou would need to let her cake cool before applying the glaze, otherwise it wouldn’t adhere properly. _Ten or fifteen minutes._ it was enough time – she could give Ms. Stetson an opportunity to admit what she’d done to Eliot. _Wouldn’t even be hard._

_”She’s a child, Sophie.”_ She flinched, hearing Nate’s voice in her head. _”Literally. Let it go. Let’s at least try and get out of here with our dignity intact.”_  
*******************************  
Being forced to focus entirely on his cooking had the desired effect. Eliot was calm throughout as he stood to the side and watched the judges review his work. _Presentation good…crust came out okay…_ He saw one of the judges purse her lips as she took a bite but reassured himself that different people reacted to tartness in different ways. 

Two of the judges had their heads together about his sauce, but when his scores were finally announced each of them had given him top marks. Eliot felt a knot of tension in his chest finally ease.

When he and Bonnie Lou were announced as the two finalists, he was relieved that none of his previous stress levels seemed ready to return. And when the team finally joined him on the floor for the last round of judging, and Parker draped herself around his shoulders, he was able to ignore her whispered promises in his ear about how all he needed to do was “say the word…” 

His score dropped a little in the final judging, but he had to concede that the point about his filling was on target. He had been too distracted to check the apples as thoroughly as he might have under the circumstances. He nodded at Nate and Sophie as he left the dais to let them know that no matter the outcome, he was satisfied with his score. 

An older woman was waiting for him as he made his way back to where the finalists were supposed to stand. “Mr. Spencer?” she asked, as Bonnie Lou was called up for her final assessment. “I’m Mary Stetson – Bonnie Lou’s mother.” 

Screwing as pleasant an expression on his face as he could manage even as his stomach tried to tie itself into a knot, Eliot paused to face the woman. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Stetson."

She was nervous, he realized, although he couldn’t guess the reason. “I, um…I wanted to thank you for how you dealt with Bonnie Lou during the competition.” She was actually wringing her hands, and Eliot forced back the urge to grab her and make her stop. “We try to be supportive of her interests, but so few of her fellow bakers at this level take her seriously that I’m afraid it’s given her the idea that she can get away with pretty much anything.” 

He could hear the judges beginning their analysis of Bonnie Lou’s entry, but Eliot realized what was going on right in front of him was more important. “It’s hard having a smart kid,” he told her. “There’s a reason they say somebody like that is ‘too smart for their own good’.” He smiled softly, remembering. “My brother was a lot like Bonnie Lou at that age.”

“We want her to be able to stand on her talent.” 

Reaching out, Eliot dared to lay a hand on the other woman’s arm. “It’s a process. And unfortunately, the older she gets, the more she’s going to have to defend herself against these same dirty tricks.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to present the Grand Prize for first place in the 45th Annual Texas Bake-off. The winner, with a score of 98 out of a possible 100…” Eliot exhaled softly. _That’s it, then._ His score from the judges had been 96 out of 100.

“…Bonnie Lou Stetson!”

Urging Mrs. Stetson towards the dais, Eliot waited to be swarmed by the team. “You should have let me steal that mess,” Parker told him, as the others clapped him on the back and offered their congratulations.

“Parker, she won fair and square,” he told her. “It was a better choice of entry, and she was less distracted than I was. Speaking of…” His eyes sought out Nate.

“Ah, Aimee said to say good bye,” the mastermind told him. “I think she finally realized that her need to get you to accept her marriage was more about making herself feel better than any benefit to you.” Eliot saw Nate and Sophie exchange knowing looks and decided that whatever they had cooked up between them, he was all right with it.

“I’m also proud of you for how you handled your pint-sized competition,” he added. “I really thought she had you with that last swap.”

Now Eliot grinned, genuinely happy that the chaos had finally settled into a more recognizable form, and he was back where everything made the right kind of sense. “So did I, Boss. So did I.” 


End file.
